WINTER ACTIVITY DEATHS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA · BC Coroners Service Winter Activity Deaths, 2008/2009...

WINTER ACTIVITY DEATHS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

2008/2009 – 2017/2018

BC Coroners Service Winter Activity Deaths, 2008/2009 – 2017/2018

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This report examines accidental winter activity deaths in British Columbia from the

2007/2008 season to the 2017/2018 season [1].

Inclusion Criteria: Death was related to one or more of the following activities:

• Snowmobiling

• Skiing

• Snowboarding

• Ice climbing

• Tobogganing/tubing

• Snowshoeing

Four deaths resulting from injuries incurred >10 years prior to death were excluded.

Caveats: As the BCCS operates in a live database environment, the data are

considered preliminary and subject to change. These data were compiled by date of

death, which may differ from the date of injury. In some cases, the death may occur

months or years subsequent to injury. These statistics may vary from those reported by

other agencies, due to differences in data definitions or reporting standards.


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Summary

• From the 2007/2008 season to the 2017/2018 season, there were between 13 and 35 deaths each year. The average annual number of deaths was 22.8.

o 45% were related to snowmobiling.

o 33% were related to skiing.

o 13% were related to snowboarding.

o 8% were related to other activities.

• 84% of individuals were male; 16% of whom were female.

• Individuals aged 19 to 49 accounted for 70% of all deaths.

• 57% of injuries occurred in the Interior Health Authority region, 21% in Northern

Health, and 19% in Vancouver Coastal Health.

o Snowmobiling accounted for the most deaths in the Interior, Northern and

Fraser Health regions.

o Skiing and snowboarding deaths were the majority in the Vancouver

Coastal and Island Health regions.

• Overall, 42% of deaths were avalanche-related.

• The most common medical causes of death were as follows:

o Suffocation/Smothering/Positional Asphyxia (44% of deaths)

o Blunt Injuries: Multiple (23%)

o Head Injuries (18%)


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General Findings

A. When did people die? A total of 251 deaths related to winter activities were identified from the 2007/2008

season to the 2017/2018 season. On average, this equates to 22.8 deaths per year.

Fig. 1. Winter Activity Deaths by Season, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

Snowmobiling accounted for the majority of winter activity deaths at 45.4% (n=114)

across the seasons. In the 2017/2018 season, there were 11 deaths due to

snowmobiling. The next most frequent activities were skiing and snowboarding, which

represented 33.1% (n=83) at 13.1% (n=33) of deaths, respectively. Other winter

activities such as ice climbing, tobogganing/tubing, and snowshoeing were responsible

for a relatively smaller percentage of deaths.

Table 1. Winter Activity Deaths by Season and Activity Type, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 Snowmobiling 13 23 12 10 4 6 9 8 16 2 11 Skiing 7 7 12 8 7 9 7 6 7 6 7 Snowboarding 2 3 3 3 1 4 5 2 3 3 4 Ice Climbing 1 - - - - 1 - 4 1 - -

Snowshoeing 1 - 1 - - - - - - 5 -

Tobogganing/ Tubing - 1 - - 1 1 - 1 - - -

Other - 1 - - - - - - - 1 1 Total 24 35 28 21 13 21 21 21 27 17 23


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Fig. 2. Winter Activity Deaths by Activity Type as % of Total, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

B. Who died? The average age of individuals was 39.8 years. Most individuals were 30 to 49 years of

age (n=121; 48.2%), and 83.7% (n=210) were male.

Table 3. Winter Activity Deaths by Age Group, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 0-18 - 2 2 - - 1 2 3 1 2 1 19-29 9 9 4 4 2 7 7 4 1 3 5 30-39 5 11 10 2 6 4 3 5 6 4 6 40-49 6 9 5 9 3 2 5 4 12 1 3 50-59 3 3 2 4 1 5 1 4 6 4 5 60-69 1 1 4 2 1 2 1 - 1 2 2 70+ - - 1 - - - 2 1 - 1 1 Total 24 35 28 21 13 21 21 21 27 17 23

Fig. 3. Winter Activity Deaths by Age Group as % of Total, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018


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Table 2. Winter Activity Deaths by Sex, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 Female 2 3 5 4 2 3 4 5 5 4 4 Male 22 32 23 17 11 18 17 16 22 13 19 Total 24 35 28 21 13 21 21 21 27 17 23

Fig. 4. Winter Activity Deaths by Sex as % of Total, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

C. Where were people injured? More than half (n=143; 57.2%) were injured in the Interior Health region, followed by

Vancouver Coastal (n=52; 20.8%) and Northern (n=48; 18.2%) Health regions.

Snowmobiling was the predominant activity in the Interior, Northern and Fraser Health

regions. In the Vancouver Coastal and Island Health regions, however, skiing and

snowboarding activities accounted for the largest percentage of deaths.

Table 4. Winter Activity Deaths by Health Authority of Injury, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018[2]

07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 Interior 18 21 17 9 8 13 12 10 12 6 17 Van. Coastal 5 5 5 3 3 5 2 7 6 9 2 Northern - 8 6 8 2 2 5 4 8 2 3 Island 1 - - - - - 1 - 1 - 1 Fraser - 1 - 1 - 1 - - - - - Total* 24 35 28 21 13 21 20 21 27 17 23 *1 injury occurring out of province was excluded.


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Fig. 5. Winter Activity Deaths by Health Authority of Injury as % of Total, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018[2]

*1 injury occurring out of province was excluded. Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

D. How did people die? The most common medical cause of death given in the Coroner’s Report was

‘Suffocation/Smothering/Positional Asphyxia’ (n=107; 44.2%). ‘Blunt Injuries: Multiple’

accounted for 23.1% (n=56) of deaths, followed by ‘Head Injuries’ (n=43; 17.8%).

Table 5. Winter Activity Deaths by Cause of Death, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

# of Deaths % of Deaths

Suffocation / Smothering /Positional Asphyxia 107 44.2

Blunt Injuries: Multiple 56 23.1

Head Injuries 43 17.8

Exposure: Cold 9 3.7

Drowning 8 3.3

Chest Injuries 6 2.5

Neck Injuries 6 2.5

Other 7 2.9

Total* 242 100.0 *9 deaths were still under investigation at the time of this report and are excluded.


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Nearly half (n=105; 41.8%) of all deaths were avalanche-related. An avalanche was

found to have contributed to 57.0% (n=65) of snowmobiling deaths, and 42.2% (n=35)

of skiing deaths.

Fig. 6. Avalanche Involvement by Activity Type, 2007/2008 to 2017/2018


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A Closer Look at Snowmobiling Deaths

A. Who died? There were 114 snowmobilers included in this review. Overall, 89.5% (n=102) of

snowmobilers were male, and 10.5% (n=12) were females. Over half (n=65; 57.0%)

were 30 to 49 years of age.

Table 6. Snowmobiling Deaths by Age Group and Sex, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

Female Male Total 0-18 2 1 3 19-29 1 19 20 30-39 4 26 30 40-49 2 33 35 50-59 2 18 20 60-69 1 3 4 70+ - 2 2 Total 12 102 114 % of Total 10.5 89.5 100

Fig. 7. Snowmobiling Deaths by Sex and Age Group as % of Total, 2007/2008 to

2017/2018


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B. Where were people injured? Nearly two-thirds (n=72; 63.2%) of snowmobiling-related injuries occurred in the Interior

Health region. The most common townships of injury included Golden, McBride,

Revelstoke and Fernie.

Fig. 8. Snowmobiling Deaths by Health Authority of Injury as % of Total, 2007/2008 to

2017/2018[2]

*Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

* Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Table 7. Snowmobiling Deaths by Townships of Injury, 2007/2008 – 2017/2018


Golden 10 8.8

McBride 9 7.9

Revelstoke 9 7.9

Fernie 8 7.0

Blue River 7 6.1

Valemount 7 6.1

Other townships 64 56.1

Total 114 100


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C. What happened? Fifty-seven percent (n=65) of snowmobiling deaths were avalanche-related, followed by collision-related incidents (n=23; 20.2%). A variety of incident types accounted for the

remaining deaths, including snowmobile rollovers and falls from a height (e.g. a cliff or

another sharp precipice).

Fig. 9. Snowmobiling Deaths by Type of Collision as % of Total, 2007/2008 to 2017/2018

Table 8. Snowmobiling Deaths by Incident Type, 2007/2008 – 2017/2018


Avalanche 65 57.0

Collision 23 20.2

Snowmobile Rollover 8 7.0

Fall from Height 7 6.1

Thrown from Snowmobile 5 4.4

Other 3 2.6

Unknown 3 2.6

Total 114 100.0



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D. How did people die? The most common medical cause of death given in the Coroner’s Report was

‘Suffocation/Smothering/Positional Asphyxia’ (n=66; 60.0%), followed by ‘Blunt Injuries:

Multiple’ (n=20; 18.2%) and ‘Head Injuries’ (n=12; 10.9%).

Table 9. Snowmobiling Deaths by Cause of Death, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018






Drowning 3 2.7

Other 5 4.5

Total* 110 100.0 *4 deaths currently under investigation were excluded from this table.


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A Closer Look at Skiing Deaths

A. Who died? Overall, there were a total of 83 deaths involving skiers. Of those, 80.7% (n=67) were

male, and 19.3% (n=16) were females. Twenty-three percent (n=19) of skiers were 40

to 49 years of age, followed by the 30 to 39 age group (n=18; 21.7%).

Table 10. Skiing Deaths by Age Group and Sex, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

Female Male Total

0-18 2 4 6

19-29 2 11 13

30-39 3 15 18

40-49 5 14 19

50-59 3 10 13

60-69 1 9 1

70+ - 4 4

Total 16 67 83

% of Total 19.3 80.7 100.0

Fig. 10. Skiing Deaths by Sex and Age Group as % of Total, 2007/2008 to 2017/2018 *Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.


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B. Where were people injured? Skiing injuries occurred most often in in the Interior Health region (n=53; 64.6%),

followed by the Vancouver Coastal Health region (n=20; 24.4%). The top townships of

injury were Whistler, Revelstoke and Golden which accounted for 40.2% (n=33) of

skiing deaths.

Fig. 11. Skiing Deaths by Health Authority of Injury as % of Total, 2007/2008 to

2017/2018[2]


C. What happened? Several types of skiing are represented in this review. The most common was alpine

skiing: skiing with fixed bindings, typically at a resort where a lift or another form of

assistance was used to reach the top of the hill. Alpine skiing accounted for 45.8%

Table 11. Skiing Deaths by Top Townships of Injury, 2007/2008 – 2017/2018*


Whistler 14 17.1

Revelstoke 11 13.4

Golden 8 9.8


Total 82 100.0

*1 death where injury occurred out of province was excluded. *Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.


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(n=38) of deaths. Other types of skiing included backcountry skiing and heli-skiing

accounted for 36.1% (n=30) and 14.5% (n=12), respectively.

Fig. 12. Skiing Deaths by Type of Skiing as % of Total, 2007/2008 to 2017/2018

Forty-two percent (n=35) of skiing deaths were due to an avalanche-related incident.

Skiers engaged in backcountry and heli-skiing activities were more likely to be injured in

avalanches than alpine skiing. The next most frequent incident type was falls from

height (n=14; 16.9%), followed by collisions with trees (n=10; 12.0%) and falls into tree

wells (n=9; 10.8%).


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D. How did people die? Overall, the most common medical cause of death given in the Coroner’s Report

‘Suffocation/Smothering/Positional Asphyxia’ (n=30; 37.5%). However, causes of death

differed by skiing type: among alpine skiing deaths, ‘Head Injuries’ was determined to

be the most common cause of death.

Table 13. Skiing Deaths by Cause of Death, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018*






Neck Injuries 2 2.5


Drowning 1 1.3

Other 3 3.8

Total 110 100 *3 deaths currently under investigation were excluded.

Table 12. Skiing Deaths by Incident Type, 2007/2008 – 2017/2018

Alpine Backcountry Heli-skiing Other/ Unknown Total % of Total

Avalanche 7 19 9 - 35 42.2 Fall from Height 7 6 1 - 14 16.9 Collision with Tree 9 1 - - 10 12.0 Fall into Tree Well 3 3 2 1 9 10.8 Collision with Ground 6 - - 2 8 9.6 Collision with Other Snowboarders 2 - - - 2 2.4

Immersion in Snowdrift 1 1 - - 2 2.4 Other/Unknown 3 - - - 3 3.6 Total 38 30 12 3 83 100.0


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Fig. 13. Skiing Deaths by Type of Skiing and Cause of Death as % of Total, 2007/2008

to 2017/2018*

*3 deaths currently under investigation were excluded.

A Closer Look at Snowboarding Deaths

A. Who died? There was a total of 33 deaths involving snowboarders. Most snowboarders were under

the age of 40 (n=27; 81.8%) and 81.8% (n=27) were males.

Table 14. Snowboarding Deaths by Age Group and Sex, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018

Female Male Total

0-18 0 3 3

19-29 4 12 16

30-39 1 7 8

40-49 0 3 3

50-59 1 1 2

60+ 0 1 1

Total 6 27 33

% of Total 18.2 81.8 100.0


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Fig. 14. Snowboarding Deaths by Sex and Age Group as % of Total, 2007/2008 to

2017/2018

B. Where were people injured? Snowboarders were most likely to have been injured in the Vancouver Coastal Health

region, followed by the Interior region. About 40% (n=13) of injuries occurred in the

township of Whistler. Golden, the next most common township, accounted for 9.1%

(n=3) of deaths. No other township had more than one death.

Fig. 15. Snowboarding Deaths by Health Authority of Injury as % of Total, 2007/2008 to

2017/2018[2]


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C. What happened? Falls into tree well and falls from height accounted for 42.4% (n=14) of snowboarding

deaths. The next most common incident types were collisions (n=8; 24.3%) and

avalanches (n=5; 15.2%).

Table 15. Snowboarding Deaths by Top Townships of Injury, 2007/2008 – 2017/2018*


Whistler 13 39.4

Fernie 3 9.1


Total 33 100.0

Table 16. Snowboarding Deaths by Incident Type, 2007/2008 – 2017/2018


Fall into tree well 7 21.2

Fall from Height 7 21.2

Avalanche 5 15.2

Collision with Other Fixed Object 5 15.2

Collision with Tree 3 9.1

Immersion in Snowdrift 2 6.1

Drowning 2 6.1

Unknown 2 6.1

Total 33 100.0


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B. How did people die? ‘Suffocation/Smothering/Positional Asphyxia’ (n=11; 34.4%) was the medical cause of

death most often listed on the Coroner’s Report for snowboarders included in this

review. The next most common causes were ‘Blunt Injuries: Multiple’ (n=5; 15.6%) and

‘Head Injuries’ (n=4; 12.5%).

Table 17. Snowboarding Deaths by Cause of Death, 2007/2008 - 2017/2018*


Suffocation / Smothering/Positional Asphyxia 11 34.4



Drowning 3 9.4


Other 6 18.8

Total 32 100.0 *1 death currently under investigation was excluded.

Notes:

[1] Cases were grouped by winter season. Deaths occurring out of season – i.e.,

between March and November – were counted towards the closest season. The 2007-

2008 season, for instance, includes deaths occurring from June 1, 2007, to May 31,

2008.

[2] Health Region breakdowns can be found at:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/data/geographic-data-

services/landuse/administrative-boundaries/health-boundaries

WINTER ACTIVITY DEATHS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA · BC Coroners Service Winter Activity Deaths, 2008/2009...

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